Kinetic and thermodynamic control of butyrate conversion in non-defined methanogenic communities.

ABSTRACT: Many anaerobic conversions proceed close to thermodynamic equilibrium and the microbial groups involved need to share their low energy budget to survive at the thermodynamic boundary of life. This study aimed to investigate the kinetic and thermodynamic control mechanisms of the electron transfer during syntrophic butyrate conversion in non-defined methanogenic communities. Despite the rather low energy content of butyrate, results demonstrate unequal energy sharing between the butyrate-utilizing species (17 %), the hydrogenotrophic methanogens (9-10 %), and the acetoclastic methanogens (73-74 %). As a key finding, the energy disproportion resulted in different growth strategies of the syntrophic partners. Compared to the butyrate-utilizing partner, the hydrogenotrophic methanogens compens

SUBMITTER: Junicke H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4703631 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature